Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chaozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $651 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chaozhou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Chaozhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $651 in Chaozhou.

Medellin $1,639
Chaozhou $651

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,045 in Chaozhou.

Medellin $2,413
Chaozhou $1,045

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,440 in Chaozhou.

Medellin $3,186
Chaozhou $1,440

Living in Medellin is roughly 152% more expensive than in Chaozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Chaozhou is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$2.32 ¥15.42

248.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$23.19 ¥154

102.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$3.58 ¥23.84

165.36%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.50 ¥9.99

100.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.50 ¥3.33

260.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.29 ¥1.90

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.19 ¥7.90

167.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.90 ¥19.32

98.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.53 ¥10.16

-1.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.48 ¥9.86

60.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.78 ¥5.16

126.92%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.11 ¥7.38

160.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$9.33 ¥62.1

9.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$2.43 ¥16.19

306.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$12.05 ¥80.2

16.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.30 ¥15.33

72.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$0.93 ¥6.16

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$0.93 ¥6.20

134.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.78 ¥11.86

22.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.62 ¥4.15

216.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.44 ¥2.93

261.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.43 ¥2.88

167.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.31 ¥2.07

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.02 ¥20.07

31.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$11.37 ¥75.7

20.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$0.76 ¥5.08

118.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.22 ¥8.10

85.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.29 ¥1.90

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$20.26 ¥135

281.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.00 ¥6.67

27.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.31 ¥2.09

561.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$7.06 ¥46.97

21.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.17 ¥7.80

15.38%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$19.4K ¥129.4K

75.22%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$17.8K ¥118.4K

94.87%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$170 COP 536.8K

$43.39 ¥289

290.99%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$4.31 ¥28.68

214.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$11.27 ¥75.0

149.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$41.29 ¥275

5.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$14.75 ¥98.2

16.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$6.39 ¥42.56

8.14%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$797 COP 2.5M

$490 ¥3,258

62.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$24.4K ¥162.5K

-62.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$13.38 ¥89.0

533.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$27.63 ¥184

109.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$88.3 ¥587

52.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$61.0 ¥406

60.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$262 ¥1,746

360.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$185 ¥1,231

246.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$600 ¥3,990

238.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$360 ¥2,399

180.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$3,448 ¥22.9K

20.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,972 ¥13.1K

-3.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$497 ¥3,306

32.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.46

216.18%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chaozhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Chaozhou

$185 28.4% 71.2% $457

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Chaozhou

$181 27.8% 39.1% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Chaozhou

$59 9.1% 72.1% $152

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Chaozhou

$62 9.6% 63.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Chaozhou

$86 13.2% 49.3% $83

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Chaozhou

$24 3.7% 74.4% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Chaozhou

$54 8.3% 6% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $262 in Chaozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 32% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $23 in Chaozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $181 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,568,387

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Chaozhou 16,430 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chaozhou

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $651 in Chaozhou, so Chaozhou is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $262 in Chaozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $490 in Chaozhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $651 in Chaozhou versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.